


Hefinex: What it means to lead... || By Lord Illuminous

by FHContest



Category: For Honor (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-25 20:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16204655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FHContest/pseuds/FHContest
Summary: Unity is power against adversity. Morality is mans duty and Justice is sacred.' Is it with these words that Hefinex honors his people, leads his men and fights relentlessly. In a time where resources grew scarce and brothers turn on one another for survival, one leader stands steadfast. Difficult is the way of leadership through courage, selflessness and piety, but one must do what is demanded of him.Yet when a man without a shred of ethics reaches his zenith, only another mighty may shatter his iron fist. This is a Story of Hefinex, a Warden long sworn to an oath, one he must keep even if it means his downfall, still trudging on nevertheless. For strength of spirit proves mightier than the sturdiest of mountains.





	Hefinex: What it means to lead... || By Lord Illuminous

**Author's Note:**

> Part of EXAN's Summer For Honor Fanfic Contest 2018

The ruckus in the make-shift tent flared suddenly, interrupting a quiet morning, the people present gasping at the situation.  
"Declaration of War? ARE THEY MAD?" the Warden yelled at the messenger holding a worn parchment, his iron gauntlet smacking the weak wooden table in front of him, causing it to buckle slightly and war map on it to shake.  
"Sire, please. We're at war already, why does it bother you so much?" a young Knight remarked calmly.

"THEY ARE OUR OWN MEN, Lertz! We were supposed to fight side by side, not stab each other while the Vikings are knocking on our doors. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?" he countered wide-eyed. It appeared this shocked him more than he let on.  
"Calm down. We need more infomation, Hefinex...I mean Sir." she replied, almost forgetting what she was supposed to call him now, she still had not gotten used to it even after two months, not that he reprimanded her for it anyway.

The Warden quickly relented, yet there was a hint of concern on his face, one that was more than visible with his helmet off.  
"True enough. Anything else?" he answered, his gaze shifting back from the Peacekeeper to the messenger.  
"Ah, no Sire."  
"You may leave...No,wait. I've one more question for you, messenger."  
The messenger quickly bowed his head, raised his hand to his chest and looked him in the eye: "Yes, Sire."  
"Who leads your men currently?"  
"Sir Vants, Sire. He assumed control after insubordination. He dispatched the now late Commander Arstus and took control of the fortress with an iron fist." the messenger hastily explained.  
"Then may I ask why are you here? If he is such a man, I doubt he would send a declaration of war before attacking." Lertz interjected before Hefinex could speak.  
"No, milady. You are right, I was not sent by Sir Vants. I came here to warn you on my own volition."  
"Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying you snuck out of the fortress and came here. That's tantamous to treason, you could be executed if you went back." Hefinex asked in astonishment.  
"There are many of us who do not wish to serve Sir Vants, Sire. Most of the people who serve him do so in fear. I came here to warn you before it was too late. Many of my friends died for me to be able to bring you this warning." the messenger faltered for a moment.

Silence quickly encompassed the tent with three people inside. Seconds passed as the peacekeeper pondered, chin in hand and the messenger not moving. Then quickly the fist was raised and brought down in thunderous fury, smashing into the old and worn table again, causing it to crumble down.  
"HOW DARES HE?" the roaring came out of the Warden's mouth. The peacekeeper didn't react, her superior didn't act like this often. No, he never acted like this unless it was personal.  
"Lertz, who's this Vants?" he asked surprising calmly, yet there was anger seething in his voice.  
"A Warden like you, Sire. I've worked with him once on a battlefield. He didn't strike me as anything special, except rude and mannerless."  
"Anything else?"  
"I'd say he's a pragmatist. Either that or he's wrong in the head."  
Hefinex didn't answer, rather turning to the table, plucked the knife out of the map and stabbed it back, this time in another map part.  
"Lertz, change of route. We're heading for Rogue's Passage."  
"But, Milord..."  
"No 'buts'. This is personal." he interrupted her without giving a chance at reprimand.  
"Understood. Should I get the commander to discuss strategy?"  
The Warden shook his head in response, grabbing his helmet adorned with a spiked crown and his longsword.  
"Give the messenger some food, water and a horse. Rally the soldiers, raise the banner and mount your horses. We're setting off to Rogue's Passage immediately."  
"Wait a moment, Sire. Right now? The people need half a day to pick the camp up if we started now." she replied in a hurry. The Warden adjusted his helmet onto his head and mounted a horse that sat in front of his tent.  
"Good. That means I've half a day lead on you. Be as swift as you can, Lertz. As soon as you arrive there, begin the assault on the fortress. And take care of the men...That's an order."  
"YES SIRE...but...What about you, Milord?" she asked in confusion.  
"I'm going to go talk to this 'Sir Vants'...and hopefully see if I can settle this before anyone dies. Wish me luck." he answered her inquiry and departed without any hesitation, forcing the horse into a gallop.

\--------------Two and a Half Days Later--------------

The Warden climbed the portside of the castle under the cover of the twilight's shadow, his horse left in the nearby oasis. He had emptied what food he had left, fed it to the horse and used the bag to store the armor he couldn't climb with, strapping it to his waist.  
  
Even with most of his armor gone,it had taken Hefinex half an hour to scale the castle wall. Thankfully, even with all the clanking heard from his back, he had alerted no guards standing at the top. Ever swiftly did he enter the fortress, knock the two men out with the blunt end of his sword after distracting them with a stone throw, before they could ring the iron alarm bell.

Yet it was not those two, but a randomly passing soldier that had spotted him and rang the bell before he noticed him. Immediately the fortress burst into chaos, loud shouts on all sides and glances thrown into his general direction and Hefinex could do naught but hide in the corner of a wall as an arrow passed him at hair's length. He put his helmet on and strapped his shoulderpads rightly, before assessing his situation and the whereabouts of Sir Vants.

The boots echoed from downstairs as he entered one of the stone towers and he had already unsheated his sword the very same moment. He caught another breath and flipped his sword upside down, grabbing it by the blade with his tanned leather glove. Three people came from below and he leapt at the first as the first one, incapacitating him with a blow to his helm, causing him to crash down at once, dropping his shield. The other two attacked him on sight, swinging from above to compensate for the tight space they were in.

Hefinex on the other hand, being only one, could afford to dodge the vertical slash and swing back, departing the man's hands from his body, followed by a fast stab to the heart that sent him to the afterlife. Still he didn't let his body rest, meeting the last man's blade with his own and disarming him in one motion.  
"I...I surrender! Please! Don't kill me!" the man cried and just with that much, Hefinex could already tell what kind of a man would send someone else to death without coming to greet him in person.  
"It wasn't my intention to begin with. Where's Sir Vants? Speak!" he threatened with a sword pointed to the man's neck.  
"PLEASE! He's on the terrace overlooking the arena at the top of the fortress, I swear on my life!" cried the man, his beard the only thing currently feeling the sword.   
"Scurry now, I've someone to deal with and it's not you." Hefinex urged him and he obeyed without being told a second time. The next half an hour Hefinex would regret dearly, for he had already felt guilt for killing one of his own kin.  
He set off towards the arena, using the side passages as much as he could to avoid any unnecessary conflict. Thankfully, most of the Knight fortresses had more or less the same design and as such, it was easy for him to navigate his way around.

\-------Fifteen minutes Later---------

With a moment of moment of hesitation, and probably a hint of self-deprecation, he slammed the opposing warden down, guilt heavy in his chest and air throttling within his lungs. Pushed to the brink, having to fight those ideals he considered wrong, those enemies he considered wrong. Perhaps it was his own sense of justice that led him on, but right now the only thing he could think of was how he ruthlessly killed the children of Ashfeld.

"COME DOWN, FALSE LEADER!" he screamed, desperation and resolution half and half within it: "I DO NOT WANT THESE MEN TO DIE!. STEP FORTH, YOU...YOU WHO HIDE AND SEND YOUR SOLDIERS TO DIE HERE. SHOW YOURSELF BEFORE ME and then...THEN THIS BATTLE MIGHT END WITHOUT FURTHER SHEDDING OF BLOOD!"

Once again, he struck another warrior, who had in fury charged at him as he climbed the almost broken staircase made of cobblestone in the already run down tower, sending him tumbling down with his head rolling afterwards.  
"Is this the leader you follow? THIS...MAN...WITHOUT PRINCIPLES...and compassion? THE ONE WHO ORDERS OTHERS TO FIGHT AND DIE IN HIS OWN WARS?" he finished, another swing escaping his grasp, knocking down the opposing sword, his leg meeting his enemies', flinging it down that same set of stairs. The soldiers faltered for a moment. Everything he said was true, every word. "That is not how...a warden should be...nor how a ruler should be.. To rule for the sake of peace of your men, you have to live without having that same peace within yourself!"  
The scene had gone quiet after that declaration, yet it was only those men at the top that had heard him speak. He had no more breath to spare for shouting. Instead he mustered what he could, charged to the top and struck the man in the front with his shoulder with every ounce of strength he could, throwing him and the other three behind him through the arch-passage way behind, right onto the ground.

"Step aside, I'm only here for him." he declared, sword pointed at them, lungs full of hot air and eyes staring not at them, but at the man who sat there on the terrace overlooking the arena Hefinex was now in, in the chisled stone throne.

"Worthless, all of you! Unable to kill a single man." the other one shouted, staring at the four that lay before the Warden. The man got up, but rather than standing aside, they stood behind him one after another.  
"Can we trust you, Warden?"  
"No. But at the very least, you'll know you died fighting for Ashfeld itself." Hefinex answered and the Conqueror nodded, firmly grabbing his shield. This wasn't about trust anymore. It was about ethics and honor.

"Sir Vants, Leader of the Legion of Shattered Steel, I hereby challenge you Trial by Combat!" he called to him and to his astonishment, the man got up, grabbed his blade and went down to meet him.  
"Very well. It seems nobody here is capable enough to get rid of you, so I must do it myself."  
This statement had alone already infuriated the Warden that stood ever defiant to him.  
"And you've a few traitors behind you, it seems hangings are in order later."  
"Face it, the only real reason they betray you in your shitty tyranny, you've no one to blame but yourself. Now, fight!" Hefinex spat through his helmet and got into the stance, his breath had already returned.

Vants charged him and he himself walked forward, sword in front, its' tip pointed straight at Vants, never straying a millimeter. The two met, swords locked like ice and fire. They didn't stay for long, instead Vants broke the stalemate, slashing from the right. Hefinex deftly dodged, bashing the follow-up attack down with his own weapon held in one arm with ease. Not because it was easy, but because Hefinex wanted to humiliate him for falling so low. He noticed it the moment they started...that Vants was once a Warden. He could recognize the fighting style anyday, because he too used it. He wanted to teach him a lesson, in humility or shame, that much even he didn't know.

Vants swung once again, this time from above and Hefinex moved left by just a step, leaving his other leg in place, causing Vants to try and fall down onto his knees.Then he spun around, grabbing the sword by the blade and as the Vants turned his head towards him, he nailed him right in the chin with the guard, sending him flying with almost absurd amount of force.  
But instead of staying down, Vants had, albeit with difficulty, tried getting up.

"That's it, stand! STAND...AND FIGHT! That's how a ruler should be! That undying spirit, that's what I respect in men." he scuffled happily. Then his blade met wood, semi-loud sound of impact emanating as the sword impaled itself in the ivory and stone terrace.

"Rejoice, at the very least that is a trait we share. That willingness to stand in the face of adversity. Yes, I respect that if anything." he continued, cracking his fist against one another: "Your duty to rule is also your chain. No matter what you do, you have to honor it. Even if everything else fails, you fight. Even when you lose a limb, when everything and everyone you cherished is vanquished right before you eyes, you fight."

His demeanor turned angry now, hands crossed and face unseen, yet one could tell the frown just from his voice alone. The Warden was angry beyond belief, that much was evident without a second thought.

"Even if it means collapsing in a pool of your own blood afterwards, you make your stand. So long as you continue to be supported by your own two feet and your hands continue to grip the weapon, YOU FIGHT!"

At this time the Warden's posture seamlessly relaxed in an almost melancholic state, yet his right fist was still clenched. He wasn't done apparently, not even by a long shot.

"Because on your shoulders lies the future of innumerable lives. That duty is your responsibility...and everything, EVERYTHING YOU HAVE or may have had in the past is paltry compared to that. That is how a ruler should be."

 

The so-called 'ruler' finally stood up, no longer needing to lean on his blade for support him: "Do you think of me a slave, Warden? Is that it?"

Perhaps this statement infuriated the Warden again but he didn't let it show, instead releasing the sword from the wooden frame underneath him and pointing it at him without a word at first, but that was a short lived moment.

"A slave? No...something much more. A ruler should indeed be a slave to his people, not by words, but by life and honor. Whether he likes it or not, that duty was his from the start" he replied calmly, his sword not moving from the line of sight that the twofollowed, instead underlying it like a current. "UNTILYOUR HEART REACHES UP YOUR THROAT AND YOUR BREATHING BECOMES SO EXASPERATED THAT YOUR HEART CANNOT KEEP UP...Yes...You are not done until you cannot see the enemy before you, stand on your own legs and hold your weapon anymore...So throw away your life, its' worth was nothing to begin with."

Then his own blade was passed between his fingers, masterfully spun in half-circle and sheathed under his arm like it was naught but air. The expertise behind it was almost awe-inducing, yet it was over in a moment.  
"Trudge on, lost-in-thought ruler. Fight with everything you have...until the bitter end. Only then will your enemy truly realize that taking away all you had...your past, your future was not the good way to break a warrior. He still, in the end, has his spirit. That undying, self-destructive conviction that fuels your body from buckling in trepidation."   
  
His grip on the longsword tightened, to the point one would think it would draw blood even through his tanned-leather glove and his voice turned rough, the eyes glancing at the heavens above through the steel helm.  
"And it will dawn upon their eyes, that realization that they should not have crossed the man who had nothing to lose in the first place." a breath escaped his lips, a hard one at that.

"If anything, when your knees give in at the end, your vision becomes enveloped in a shade of red and your mind turns foggy, you will at the very least be at peace with yourself when your body thuds against the dry dirt, knowing you've given everything you had to your people." he turned around to leave, unabated by the gazes of the soldiers that strayed his way.

"WARDEN!" Vants called back to him, breaking into a sprint, sword raised. The men stood still, all except one. The Conqueror he had talked to too broke into a sprint, shield raised, attempting to help him. Hefinex turned around with weapon in hand, deflecting the strike with his own, causing Vants to lose balance as the Conqueror threw himself onto him, yet before he could fall, Hefinex made a swift upward motion with his long sword, severing his neck with a single slice and with it the head rolled through the arena, accompanied only by silence and the setting sun.

"The name's Hefinex." he called back to the corpse without ever glancing back at it. 

\--------Epilogue--------

The thunder cried in the distance, the light of the day already extinguished. Yet, even with the glistening clouds covering the lovely view of the moon's gaze over Ashfeld, the thunder echoed on, over and over. The men stilled, the breaths went silent, the bells had stopped ringing. All in the favor of deciphering the thundering of earth.  
"What in the world is going on now?" the Warden called out to the Conqueror in anticipation, still the man shook his head in denial.

Warden's feet carried him over to the edge of the arena, but his eyes couldn't see the reason unknown. The field he saw, the dusty plains of the desert bloomed only with one flower with the color of a blazing sun. Then one more bloomed right beside it...and one more, like a spring morning coming early, the flowers bloomed until they were a bouquet, then a field...and then...an army.

Only then did Hefinex realize what was transpiring before his eyes. Those so called flowers were in reality burning torches, illuminating the nightly sky that shrouded the moon.  
"Oh no...." he breathed in a sigh, bead of sweat drooping the surface of his cheek. Then his feet picked the pace up, through the arch passage way, down the stairs and right into the courtyard. Not once had he stopped to catch a breath, mounting a horse that sat unbridled, the Conqueror only managing to catch up to him a few moments later.  
"Sir..."  
"Open the gates NOW! We have to stop this before the siege begins." he shouted at him without giving a chance at reply. That was an army...his army that he had let his second command with an order to begin the siege at the soonest arrival. This had happened at the worst possible time, at midnight...on a night where nobody could see a thing with the obstructed moon.  
His thoughts quickly withdrew as the gates opened and a shout came to his direction, along with a torch being thrown at him from above.  
The conqueror had thrown it right into his arm and he caught it, even if a little slow, yet he was ever grateful for it. Now it was up to him to stop the army and hope he didn't get shot in the meantime from either side. Still somehow, somehow the fiery torch that blazed in his hand gave him peace. At the very least, he had done a right thing today, even if it meant besieging a castle on his own. And with that thought in mind, he quickly forced the unbridled horse into a gallop, riding off through the rocky desert.


End file.
